Mormon BYU valedictorian comes out during emotional graduation speech: ‘I am proud to be a gay son of God’

Matthew Easton came out as gay during his graduation ceremony at a Mormon college. (Facebook)

Brigham Young University valedictorian Matt Easton came out as gay during his graduation speech, amid loud applause and cheers of support from thousands in attendance.

The 24-year-old practicing Mormon started his speech on Friday by congratulating all students for pushing through all the difficulties to receive their diploma, and saying that that he would also take the time to celebrate some of his personal victories.

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“I have felt another triumph; that of coming to terms, not with who I thought I should be, but who the Lord has made me to be. As such, I stand before the Lord, my family, my graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God,” he told the crowd of about 10,000 people, which included some friends and family members who weren’t aware that he was gay.

After waiting for a few loud seconds of celebration from the crowd, he continued: “Four years ago, it would have been impossible for me to imagine that I would come out to my entire college. It is a phenomenal feeling. And it is a victory for me in and of itself.”

The mission of Brigham Young University, which is founded, supported, and guided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is to “assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.” Its “honor code” states that while “same-gender attraction" is not an issue, acting on it is. Members of the university community need to maintain “a strict commitment to the law of chastity.” The policy explains that “homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings.”

Speaking to CBS Salt Lake City affiliate 2KUTV Easton said he’d admitted to himself he was gay while attending the school — which reviewed and approved his speech — but that he wasn’t living his life as a an openly gay man.

“I’ve never come out publicly before," he said, explaining why he decided to use his graduation to disclose his sexuality.

“Not many people are given a platform where they can speak in front of all their peers and these peers’ families,” he said. “I was nervous. I’m still a little nervous about it. You know there’s people that are telling me I went too far, people telling me I didn’t go far enough. Ultimately I had to do what felt right to me.”

While I don’t speak for everyone—my own experience is all I can vouch for—I hope that people know that we ARE here at BYU, and we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Easton said that the he felt inspired to come out by the Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg. The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind. has been vocal about a being a church-going openly gay man.

“My generation, and even more so the generation after me, we’re changing the way we talk about our identity and who we are,” Easton said. “It’s okay to be different, or not fit the norm. When I started at BYU, I didn’t think that. I thought that I had to be what everyone before me was. I do feel from my own experience that this is changing, or maybe I’m changing. I hope that our country, my faith, my community will follow in a similar fashion.”